Grace's Gourd Art

What are you doing, Grace?
'Oh, just doodling.'







I went to Grace's house yesterday armed with my camera. I've been wanting to take some pictures of her wonderful art. Although not prepared for professional photography, I did it anyway as just had to share.

When I call Grace on the phone, the conversations usually starts with, 'Hey, what are you doing?' A good percentage of the time, Grace responds with, 'Oh, just doodling.' Over the past few years, Grace has doodled a lot.

I sat down with her yesterday and decided to ask some questions so I could quote her here. I asked how on earth she started doodling.

She reflected a bit, then said, 'Well, after I moved into the apartment, I probably spent three months just staring out the window. When I'd get home, I just sat and stared out the window. I didn't turn on the TV or radio, or my music. I just sat and stared out the window.'

Me: 'Well, why did you sit and stare out the window?'

Grace: 'I think I just needed to rest. I was tired from all the stress and things in my life. I guess I just needed to rest from everything. So, I just sat on my bed and stared out the window.

(I have to tell you that Grace did have something nice to look at out her window. She wasn't just staring at a wall.)

Me: 'Okay, so how did that bring you to doodling?' (At this point, Grace just eyed me and waved her hand around in the air as if she were writing or painting.)

Grace: 'I don't know. I guess I've just always felt that I needed to pick up a pencil or pen and do something with it. I like to write. Then one day I picked up a pen and a sketch pad and started doodling. I just kept doing it. I did that for a long time. I just kept doodling on paper.'

(Yes, Grace's walls are full of her doodle art. It's mostly black and white with some color. It's really great too.)

Me: 'So, what happened next to get you to move beyond the sketch pad?'
Grace: 'One day someone gave me a gourd. I just looked at it and looked at it. I decided I would just try out my art on that too.'
















Now I have to tell you that Grace just kept on doodling. She has doodled on gourds and boxes. I sometimes laugh and say that being around Grace means you should not sit still long. You might become doodle art, as Grace is always looking for new canvas.

Grace didn't see what I did in her art for a long time. I kept telling her that it was good and that she should share it. I told her that I really think there is a market for her work. It is great, it is detailed, and it is truly art. After nagging her a bit (actually a lot), she finally took a few pieces to a designer in town. The designer LOVED it and has been selling it in her shop. She has clients in larger nearby cities and has sold a number of pieces. They, too, see what it took Grace awhile to see. Her art has value, not only for her, but for others.

The nice thing is that Grace is just having fun. She loves creating her art for art's sake alone. It's always nice to sell a piece. I think it is a kind of validation of her talent. I'm blessed to have a piece or two of her art. I just beg for mine, and so far that seems to work. Well, friendship has its perks.

I had a hard time trying to decide about posting Grace's art here or on CJ's Crafting fun. I think I'm going to add a few pictures there as well. You might want to check that out as well. I'm heading there to upload more pics. Feel free to run over there as well. CJ's Crafting fun